Mary Elizabeth Poore

B.M. and M.M., Indiana University

Voice, Vocal Ensembles

Faculty since 1993

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

Mary Elizabeth Poore has performed throughout the United States in concert and opera at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Merkin Concert Hall, The American Academy in Rome, and the Library of Congress, and has sung with companies including Michigan Opera Theater, Orlando Opera, Virginia Opera, Mobile Opera, Des Moines Opera, Sarasota Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Lyric Opera of Cleveland. She has been featured in solo and chamber music recitals throughout the country and was the soprano soloist for the annual Basically Bach Festival in New York for many years. Ms. Poore created the title role in the world premiere of Libby Larsen’s Mrs. Dalloway for the Lyric Opera of Cleveland and performed in the world premiere of John Kelly’s Light Shall Lift Them at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the Next Wave Festival. She has recorded for labels including Capstone Records, Living Artist Recordings and Newport Classic Records. She was the national winner of the National Federation of Music’s Young Artist of the Year, and a first prize winner of the Oratorio Society of New York, which led to her Carnegie Hall debut singing the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, She was a winner of the Distinguished Performance Award of the Minna Kaufman Ruud Fund and a finalist in the Bayrische Rundfunk Munich International Vocal Competition. In addition to her busy performing schedule, Ms. Poore, a devoted music educator, is currently on the faculty of the Bel Canto Institute in Florence, Italy, and the Music Conservatory of Westchester. Ms. Poore has lived and performed in Italy where she studied with the world-renowned Italian opera coach, Luigi Ricci.

“I enjoy teaching students of all ages and in various stages of vocal development, striving to bring out the best in each, finding a healthy vocal production with good technique, and building confidence while sharing my joy of vocal music! I enjoy preparing students for competitions, auditions and roles both professionally and in their schools and sharing in their successes. All my students have a wide variety of musical interests including classical, opera, musical theater and pop and I encourage them all to continually perform as part of their musical training.”